Wednesday, August 25, 2010

M'Afrique at ABC

Visiting ABC Carpet and Home in NY is like taking a trip to a place where dreams materialize. Amongst the many things I found (I'll show you as days go by) was a great collection of furniture by Italian furniture manufacturer Moroso.

Detail of chair... look at the intensity of the colors and the weave of the yarn

The collection is made with a hand-weaving technique that uses as primary material the plastic fibers used for making fishing nets in Senegal. The idea came from a visit made by Moroso who saw that once they used the nets the local artisans would recycle the material into arts and crafts including furniture.

View of the on site Moroso store at ABC dedicated exclusively to the collection

All pieces are made entirely in Africa not only using the fiber but also incorporating traditional fabrics and woods into the designs. The collaboration was made possible through the work of the artisans and several world renowned furniture designers like Tord Bootje and Stephen Burks

Look at the incredible designs both in the fabrics and furniture that coordinate perfectly!

All over the place you can see over sized images of the designers working together with the weavers and artisans. It a great thing to see the creative process of how it all came together along with the great thing it is for African countries to bring their work to other countries.

For more info on the collection email Christi Love from Moroso and she'll be more than happy to help you.